TRANSCRIPT US INTELLIGENCE AND THE END OF THE COLD WAR TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY MEM

Created: 11/20/1999

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Speeches and Testimony

TRANSCRIPT

US INTELLIGENCE AND THE END OF THE COLD WARNIVERSITY MEMORIAL CEREMONY

SATURDAY.9

SPFAKTRS Program narrator. Chaplain ol Texas ASM Corps of Cadets Jeremiah toeing. Colonel Richard Kukknski. Director of Central intelligerKe George Tenet, former President George

Bush.

CHAPLAIN: Bow your heads wtth me please.

Dear heavenly Father, you are an awesome guide. We humbly come before you this afternoon in gratitude for your eternal presence and loving concern for our Ives. We give you praise for your beautiful creation, and wo acknowledge that everything that is comes from you.

We are thankful to Bveountry where we may freefy worship your name and live full lives lhat are holy and pleasing In your sight

Today we honor the men and women who have boldly fought to give us trite freedom. We thank you for their courage and the hope that theys through their fearless service to tho country.

Father, wc pray that you would lift them up today and let their livesestimony of your powerful hand and that, like your son Jesus Christ sacrifice Iheir lives to bring you honor and glory.

Those things wo ask with tho hope and faith that comes from knowing you.

In your precious and holy name, amen.

NARRATOR; Ladios and gondomon. the Director of Central Intelligence, Mr George Tenet. GEORGE TENET: Good afternoon.

We come to this memorial service with fresh ghef in our hearts for the young live* lostudden and lemoieThis *ook was supposed lo be one ol joyous antcipauon hero atnstead it has ended in tragedy.

It Is truly heartrending when lives, so full of promise, are cut short before their time. We can only pray that the families and friends of those who died will derive some comfort in the way the people

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of College Station have coma lopother as one extended family to embrace them in their sorrow.

I would ask that we all bow our headsomem of sdent prayer lor those students and their famines.

Thank you.

We In the intelligence community know what ft fs like toember of our extended family. On all too many occasions we. loo, have come together in grief. Our work, by Its very nature, entarfs greatisks that our pcopk) willingly accept for the sake of our country. But accepting the risks does nol ease our sadness al the loss of colleagues and friends or soften ine pain of their lovod ones. So it is especially fitting lhat we bring this conferenceose by turning our thoughts lo tho bravo men and women who perished in the silent intelligence struggle that helped keep the CoW War from becominghose who risked and tost their Irves in order to obtain the precious information upon which so many cnucal national security decisions were made.

Thee* gallant patriots made the ultimate saenfice kncnwgfy. solftossiy and arxxwrnousfy to defend and secure the freedoms thai wo and people everywhereeer.

In the headquarters lobby of the Central Intelligence Agency thereranite wall carved with rows of stars. Each star in that silent constellation represents an American intelligence officer killed In Iho Hoe of duty since the Agency was established In the early years of the CoW War. Even to this day many of the names and stories behind the stars cannot be tokj. Those silent stars speak powerfully of service and sacrifice, of patriotism and purpose, of our intelligence mission and lisot |ust to Americans, but to people throughout the work) who serve the cause of peace and freedom.

Of course, we know that more aro far more casualties than there are stars on our wall at the Central Iritefcpence Agency. Throughout our intelligence and national socunty communities there are other memorials honoring the Afnertcan crv*ans and rr-frtary persoooele'l to secure our freedoms. And we honor as well Ihe many valiant men and women who fell in service to our allies as ihey stood witn us in defenso of tho Free World.

As we pay homage to all those heroes, we think also of their loved ones. For each of the fallen was someone's beloved parent, husband, wife, brother, sister or child. Somoono whorieving familyamify who in Ihoir deep sorrow often bore the burden of Bilence as well.

1 hero is another group of Cold War horoos to whom we all owe an everlasting debt of gratitude. They are the extraordinary men and women from behind the Iron Curiam who helped us. They are tho patriots from across Central and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union who passionately wanted the yoke of oppression to be lifted from their homelands. They wonted their children to I'veorld of possixkry where hope wasaste of erne.

In yearning for these things they were like most of theirrdinary people who dearly lovod their families and their rvafrvo lands and who wanted toetter future for them. But thoso courageous men and women wore extraordinary because they chose to act. They chose to work for the West. Their honor and their convictions gave them the fortitude lo follow their conscienceery lonely path into mortal dangor.

One of these extraordinary heroes spoke for all of them when he wrote,uote,onsider that my place during these troubled limes is on ihe frontust remain on this front line in order lo bo your eyes and ears. God grant only lhat my modes! efforts be useful in the fight for our high ideals for mankind. Please believe that your soldier shallorthy position among his comrades who fight for justice."

Those words were written by Colonel Otegighly placed Soviet intelligence officer. Mo was President Kennedy's "most secure source* during the Becfcn crisis12 and also during the Cuban missile crisis. Tho intelligence Penkovsky provldod, together with tho

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imagery Iromverflights, gave President Kennedy the oonfidence he needed to go iiychrill-io-eyeball with Nikila Khrushchev and make him blink.

The fallen patriots whose memories we honormerican, allied, and those from the opprossod nations Irving in the shadow of iheave theirhe sacred cause of liberty and peace, not in some cynical exercise in moral equivalency This wasame of spy versus spy. IIeadly contest between Freedom and Tyranny

These noble men and women worked silently and at grave risk for the day when the Berlin Wall would fall and totalitarian despotism woukj give way to democratic freedoms. Tragically, ihey did not five to see that joyous day dawn, but Ihey steep in God's ponco. secure in the knowledge that Iheir bravery advanced its dawning

That is their legacy to us and to tho generations that follow us. May we. who have me power to live and act, be worthy of their sacrifice.

Wo are especially honored today to have withrue hero of the Cokjan who naked great danger to work for us. and who by the grace of God survived. It is in great measure due to the bravery and sacrrfice of patriots like Colonel Ryszard Kukknski that his own native Poland, and tho olhor once captive nations of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, are now free

It Ib my honor Io introduce him to you now. Colonel Kuklinski, will you please come forward?

COLONEL KUKLINSKI: As one of many soldiers who servod on the front line during those troubledm deeply honored to represent my many anonymous comrades who served on both sides of tho from line.

I am pleased that our long, hard struggle has brought peace, freedom and oemcxracy not only lo my country but lo many other people as wet.

NARRATOR: Ladies and gonnomen. President George Bush.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all very much. I'm very proud to be participating in this solemn and wonderful ceremony. And let mo just Identify on Barbara's behalf, my behalf, on behalf of the entire Bush family with the remarks made by the Director about the Aggie family.

And lo Colonel Kuklinski. let mo simply say Barbarare just backree Poland.ish owrybody here on Ihis marvelous campus and all the guests from outside could just feel what has taken place in Poland thanks lo the courage of so many people. Certainly Colonel Kuklinski and so many, many others. Itonderful thing, and we must never underestimate the power of freedom.

I want lo salute our DCI. George Tenet who'superb job heading our intelligence community. I'd also hke to thank my former DCI compatriots for being with us here today. And all of

you.

This isay that's longhance when the CIA finallyhance to express Its open gratitude lo the Americans and non-citizens alike who gave their lives in the clandestine service lo the cause of freedom.

We spent this week reflecting upon the role of irrtelligence in the Coldhe most protracted and dangorous confix ofh Century This conference has been based on large measure on what secret analyses in the national inteligence estimates and other decumenis generated by thecommunrty for me and my seraor advisors.kng the Presidents Daiy Briefeceived mosl of0 dayserved as Commander -in-Chiefan assure you thai our learn fully appreciated Ihe value of the final CIA product thai we received

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We understood the hours or hard work, hardship, and indeed danger that went into every word on evory page We never lost sight ot the tact that this Intelligence was made secret because of the sources and methods used by the Directors of Central Intelligence and our intelligence community to collect the most tightly-held secrets of our adversaries. We never forgot that flioso secret sources were the brave men and women of our armed forces and civilian agencies, our equally bravo allies, and finally, the most daring of ail. Ihe agents who worked behind the Iron Curtain to give us those last critical pieces of tho puzzle used in ending the Co id War.

It was0 years ago that the Chinese military theorist Sun Tsu stressed the importance ofis book called The Art ofn that same book he also noted that toattles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of sk*.

We thank God that that CokJ War was wonhot being fired between the superpowers. We thank Goduclear holocaust was averted. We also take heart that the hopes and droams of those Germans standing at the WaB ten years ago this month or the men and women peacefully marching through tho stroots of Prague, or demonstrating their courage in Warsaw, Gdansk and Krakow that those wore realized. And that such was to bo. Is thanks in no small way to the selfless service and sacrifice of ovory single person in the intelligence community.

Today the superpower conflict is behind us, but the need for first-rate intelligence has notelieve our countryoral obligation to continue bwldng on the hard work and the vigilant dedication of those who gave us this safer, freer world.

Being herean't help but cal lo mind the poet's words. To save your world you asked Ovs man lo die. Would this man. could be see you now, ask why?"

No. the mission is not finished For as long as freedom is imperiled anywhere, our duty is noi complete, so this dangerous hard work must go on. And as someone who was privileged to serve asas proud to stand with those heroic, indispensable, often anonymous, men and women who gave the full measure of devotion lo duty.

It's an honor to stand here and honor those who gave their lives that we might be free. Thank you very, very much.

(DCI George J. Tenet remarks) (Memorial Ceremony) (President Bush's remarks) (Judge William Webster's remarks) (Dr. Robert Gates' remarks)

[Speeches and Testimony Pago) {Public Affairs Page) (CIA Homopago] Pago Mat updated:8MT

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